# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Improve error message for missing provider prefix

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

These issues concern the poor error experience when a model ID is specified without its required vendor/provider prefix, currently resulting in an unhelpful bare 404. The proposed improvement is to return a clearer message that explicitly identifies the missing prefix as the problem.

## TL;DR

- 3 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 2 merged PR(s), 0 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #78909. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #78909 (and any competing PRs below) before filing. Confirm the merged change covers your symptom.

## Maintainer resolution verdict

- Internal-tracker verdict over this cluster's issue members: `resolved` · deciding PR(s): `pr-78856`. This is distinct from the fix status above. Weigh it yourself.

## How this cluster was grouped

- Link evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.
- Pairwise link density `0.67`: the share of member pairs that carry a link, counting a structural link in full and a relevance-only link at 0.36. `1.00` means every pair is linked.

## Closed / duplicate issues

- #78796: Missing provider prefix on a model id fails with a bare 404, never naming the model

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#78856: A model id missing its vendor prefix says so instead of 404ing**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `agent/conversation_loop.py`, `agent/error_classifier.py`, `hermes_cli/model_normalize.py`, `tests/agent/test_error_classifier.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_model_normalize.py`
- **#78909: A model id missing its provider prefix says so instead of 404ing**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `agent/conversation_loop.py`, `agent/error_classifier.py`, `hermes_cli/model_normalize.py`, `tests/agent/test_error_classifier.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_model_normalize.py`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #78909 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-08-04`.